Bartleby the Scriviner

The theme in Bartleby the Scrivener revolves around three main developments: Bartleby's existentialistic point of view, the lawyer's portrayal of egotism and materialism, and the humanity they both possess. The three developments present the lawyer's and Bartleby's alienation from the world into a "safe" world of their own design.

The lawyer, although an active member of society, alienates himself by forming walls from his own egotistical and materialistic character. The story of Bartleby the Scrivener is told from the limited first person point of view of the lawyer, or narrator. This point of view allows the egotism and materialism of the narrator to influence how the story is perceived by the reader. The lawyer asserts, "All who know me consider me an eminently safe man" (Melville 717). The lawyer is a very methodical and prudent man and has learned patience by working with others, such as Turkey, Ginger Nut, and Nippers. However, the lawyer's constant concern with his own self-approval cheapens his kindness toward Bartleby. In fact, the lawyer is not able to see the desperate plight of Bartleby due to his unwavering concern of what the scrivener can do for the lawyer's self-approval instead of what he can do for Bartleby. In this sense, the lawyer's "wall" is a sort of safety net for his own ego. He does not allow Bartleby's irrationality to affect him because he does not believe that such a thing exists or matters. His materialistic sense does not acknowledge Bartleby's mental problem as reality since the lawyer believes that only physical matter really exists.

Bartleby contrasts the lawyer through his existentialism and completely non-materialistic identity. Bartleby cannot survive in such a world where conformity is a necessity for survival. Bartleby believes the world is meaningless so he must create his own meaning through constantly challenging what other people see as normal conformities. Bartleby's defiance and questioning is shown in the words, "I would prefer not to" (Melville 723). The passive resistance exhibited by Bartleby totally confounds the lawyer. He has no chance of understanding Bartleby's epitaph of non-conformity because the lawyer cannot rationally explain why Bartleby refuses to obey him over seemingly normal requests. The problem is that Bartleby is not being rational. The existentialist point of view which Bartleby exemplifies directly contrasts with the lawyer's materialistic point of view. An existentialist finds the physical world meaningless and an abstract reality. While a materialist believes the physical world is a reality and the abstract is meaningless and unimportant. The lawyer and Bartleby are helpless to ever understand each other's way of thought.

The walls of Bartleby conflict with the lawyer's walls, but both are designed to keep both the lawyer and Bartleby safe from the outside world. The lawyer's safe haven is where his office is: Wall Street. On Wall Street, the lawyer knows exactly what society expects of him. He is content with himself and his sense of conventionality and considers himself a representative human being. The lawyer considers Bartleby to be representative of humanity.